Blue trying not to fall too far behind after knee injury

BATON ROUGE - Alfred Blue will enter his fourth football season at LSU in 2013 still looking for his first injury-free campaign.

He was off to the best start of his career in 2012. First, he beat out both Michael Ford and Spencer Ware - the top two rushers from the 13-1 season in 2011 - for the starting job. Then he turned in back-to-back 100-yard games against North Texas and Washington. No LSU back had done that since Charles Scott in 2008.

With 224 yards on the season, he stood No. 2 in the Southeastern Conference in rushing with 112 yards a game. Then he tore ligaments in his knee against Idaho, had surgery and was lost for the season. Freshman Jeremy Hill eventually took over and returns as LSU's leading rusher from last season with 755 yards. From the sound of coach Les Miles, Hill may get a lot more yards than that next season.

"I would be surprised if he's not an elite back," Miles said as spring drills opened last week.

Once again, Blue, a senior from Boutte, enters a season not expected to be the feature back. Through three seasons with injuries in each one, he has managed, though, to gain 910 yards and frequently be key to LSU's attack. In addition to Hill, Kenny Hilliard returns for his junior season, and junior-to-be Terrence Magee is back at tailback after a season at wide receiver.

Blue's knee is not 100 percent yet, but he plans on participating in spring drills as much as possible without contact on the knee so as not to drop on the depth chart behind some very talented backs. And there is another reason.

"We've got a new offensive coordinator," he said last week in reference to Cam Cameron, formerly of Baltimore and San Diego in the NFL.

"I don't want to be left behind," Blue said. "I'd rather get out there. We agreed on no contact, but I'll go out there full speed and run around."

Blue is on the fast track back because of his work ethic.

"I'm way ahead of schedule," he said. "Sometimes they tried to hold me back, but I always kept pushing and telling them I just wanted to get back. I'm just trying to hurry up and get back."

Basically, Blue has done everything necessary to return to full contact, except the most important thing - get hit.

"I'm out there going full go," he said. "I did the morning workouts. I did all the drills. That kind of built my confidence up going into the first spring practice, knowing that I can cut. I can do this. I can just burst out without worrying about when I cut off my knee if it's going to buckle or what not."

Blue says he is only 90 percent right now, though.

"I feel confident," he said. "I feel the same as I was before I got hurt. At moments, though, I feel like I'm a little slow. My burst is not there. But at some moments, I feel faster than I was. It's still trying to get there and adjust to my knee."

The next step will be the knee taking the hit, but that may not happen until August when it counts.

"I don't think that will be a problem," Blue said.

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Blue trying not to fall too far behind after knee injury

BATON ROUGE - Alfred Blue will enter his fourth football season at LSU in 2013 still looking for his first injury-free campaign.He was off to the best start of his career in 2012. First, he beat out